YNOT EUROPE – On Oct. 28, the sun will set on the “Sunrise” registration periods during which trademark owners may protect their brands within the adult-specific dot-xxx domain space. The next registration phase, “Landrush,” is scheduled to begin Nov. 8, allowing adult entertainment providers to register available domains in which they have no pre-existing trademark interest.

“The response to dot-xxx Sunrise has been fantastic, with applications for dot-xxx domains under both Sunrise A and Sunrise B exceeding expectation by several fold,” said Stuart Lawley, chief executive officer of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based dot-xxx overseer ICM Registry. “Protecting trademarks after Sunrise could prove more difficult, expensive and time consuming, so we are eager to make sure brands and [intellectual property] holders do not miss the opportunity to safeguard their digital property during this exclusive window.”

Lawley told YNOT.com that so far, ICM has reached “more than 300 percent of the target” for Sunrise registrations. Although he would not specify a target number, in the past he has mentioned 10,000 domains as the number ICM hoped to sell during pre-registration. He did tell YNOT that dot-xxx’s registration figures to date have surpassed the 11,000 registered in dot-co during that domain space’s sunrise period.

Lawley also told YNOT he predicts ICM will realize 400-500 percent of its sales goal before the sunrise registration period ends. Each of the three sunrise segments — designed to serve adult industry and mainstream trademark holders — is equally over target, he noted.

“The select dot-xxx domains that are currently live as part of ICM Registry’s Founders Program have experienced significant interest, such as Casting.xxx, which is receiving higher traffic at times than Sex.com and experiencing a bounce rate of less than 10 percent, compared to the industry average of 30-50 percent,” Lawley said, citing figures he gleaned from Alexa.

“We have engaged in a series of marketing initiatives to educate businesses on how to apply for a dot-xxx domain while raising awareness among consumers of dot-xxx as the responsible, clearly signposted home for adult content online,” he continued. “This includes an advertising campaign which has already garnered more than three million views on YouTube and animations on the registration process, plus benefits associated with having sites on dot-xxx domains. We are hoping these initiatives draw attention to the benefits that existing dot-xxx sites are experiencing.”

Dot-xxx domains are available through more than 50 accredited registrars. In addition, beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, ICM will auction 12 “premium” domains during the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The auction will be streamed live, and bids may be placed in person or by telephone.

The domains to be auctioned include Stars.xxx, Blondes.xxx, Local.xxx, Juicy.xxx, Hotties.xxx, Party.xxx, Movies.xxx, Singles.xxx, Personals.xxx, Chatroom.xxx, Orgy.xxx and Virtual.xxx.